Lone Peak 56 Timpview 43
HIGHLAND — Lone Peak boys basketball coach Ryan Cuff said he really liked the team that showed up wearing his school's uniforms Tuesday night against Timpview High.
Of course, that's easy for him to say. He didn't have to try to dribble the ball upcourt or needle a pass against his pesky players.
The visiting Thunderbirds tried to do both, but the Knights and their pressure defense prevented anything from happening most of the time by being more annoying than a group of blood-hungry mosquitoes. The result was a convincing 56-43 victory for Lone Peak in the key Region 6 battle.
The energetic win puts Lone Peak (12-5, 8-2) into a two-way tie for first with Provo in the Utah County league. Timpview fell to 12-5, 7-3 and is a game back in the standings along with Payson.
"Our guys just came out and played hard. It was a great effort," Cuff said. "They gave it all they had."
Timpview coach Perry Wildeboer credited the Knights for keeping the Thunderbirds' big guys — definitely a team strength — from being a factor.
"They outhustled us. Their quickness hurt us," Wildeboer said. "We certainly didn't handle (their press), and we knew we had to handle it to win."
Lone Peak's outstanding press, which was just implemented into the system before the Knights' victory over Provo Friday, forced Timpview into a ton of turnovers and quick shots. That boosted the Knights to an 18-6 lead after the first quarter.
Lone Peak kept up the pressure in the second and third quarters, limiting the T-Birds to nine points apiece in each period. By that time, the Knights built their lead to over 20.
"I thought we had really good ball pressure," said Lone Peak guard Troy Goeckeritz, who was one of the main sparkplugs in the Knights' stellar performance. "They couldn't see openings to pass the ball. And our big guys did a good job helping close the lanes."
Offensively, Lone Peak did a nice job spreading out the scoring. Nine different Knights scored, and only two had double figures. Sam Burgess had a high of a dozen points and Paul Walkenhorst scored 10. Taylor Risher and C.J. Ah You each chipped in nine points.
For Timpview, David Szink had 14 points, while Steve Espersen and Dane Runia each netted 11.
In Tuesday's other boys' games:
REGION 1
COTTONWOOD 62, DAVIS 43:Derek Dawes netted 18 points, and Darnell Jones added 15 more as the Colts stayed undefeated on the season.
NORTHRIDGE 64, LAYTON 52: The Knights avenged an earlier loss to the Lancers as Adam Jordan poured in 27 points, followed by Zane Satovich's 20 points.
SKYLINE 67, VIEWMONT 61:Garrett Gregson recorded 24 points, and the Eagles pulled away late in the fourth quarter with some key free throws to earn the victory.
REGION 4
SKY VIEW 69, BONNEVILLE 57: Nate Harris and Jeff Wassom each scored 21 points for the Bobcats in their win over the Lakers. Brandon Sholly topped Bonneville with 27 points.
MOUNTAIN CREST 65, LOGAN 51: The Mustangs earned a home win over their heated crosstown rivals as Tyler Kirschbaum led the way with 17 points.
BOX ELDER 54, FREMONT 52: The Bees trailed for nearly the entire game, then turned it on late in the fourth quarter to rally for the win. Kody Quayle had 14 points for Box Elder.
WEBER 62, ROY 43: A 22-8 second quarter for the Warriors proved to be the difference in their win over the Royals. Colby Fuller had 17 points in the win for Weber.
REGION 5
OLYMPUS 93, WOODS CROSS 60: The Titans hit a school record 19 3-pointers en route to a big home win over the Wildcats. Marc Jackson hit six 3-pointers and finished with 25 points for Olympus, while teammate Craig Walton also hit six 3-pointers on his way to a 20-point effort.
BOUNTIFUL 78, WEST 76 (OT): The Braves took a lead in the extra session and held the ball the last few minutes to score a tough road win over the Panthers. William Taukiuvea led West with 32 points.
MURRAY 71, HIGHLAND 58:Cory Chappell went 7-of-9 from behind the 3-point line and finished with 25 points to lead the Spartans to a road win over the Rams.
CYPRUS 59, EAST 54: The Pirates took the lead for good in the third quarter en route to the road win over the Leopards. Lance Ellett and Monte Rogers combined for 27 points for Cyprus.
REGION 6
PROVO 68, PAYSON 54: The Bulldogs took a home win over the Lions as Jake Chrisman led the way with 31 points.
SPANISH FORK 70, PLEASANT GROVE 60: The Dons trailed by seven points entering the fourth quarter but rallied to get the win. Scott Blanchard paced Spanish Fork with 21 points, while Cameron Patch had 15 for Pleasant Grove.
SPRINGVILLE 54, AMERICAN FORK 53: Nick Jensen hit a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, then sank a free throw with 15 seconds left to lift the Red Devils past the Cavemen. Jeremy Averett led Springville with 20 points.